Boat-launching device.



\ W. W. H. SNELL.

' BOAT LAUNCHING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.22 I918.

Patnted Feb. 25, 1919.

VENTOR 'Srwl,

ATTORN EY a citizen of Finland, (but having declared necting the spring to the attaching plank,

UN rm WILLIAM w. H. SNELL, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

noar-nanncnme DEVICE.

To all whom it may 00mm; 7

Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. I-LSNELL,

my intention to become a citizen of the United States,) residing at New York, in

the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Boat-Launching Devices, of whicli'the following is a specifica tion.

This invention has relation to launching devices for life boats, and has for an object to provide means particularly desi ned to safely launch a life boat from the high side of a listing vessel and to prevent injury tothe life boat ordinarily resulting from the impact of the life boat against the side of the vessel in a heavy sea.

Another object of the invention is to provide a launching means which includes guide ways secured to the hull of the vessel exteriorly thereof and extending substantially vertically, and means attachable to the life boat to ride in the guides during descent of the life boat causing the latter to hug the side of the hull until the life boat reaches the water level.

A still further object of the invention is to provide resilient means forming the attachment between the life boat and vessel to cushion or prevent shocks that may result from movements of the life boat toward and away from the hull during the rocking motion of the latter.

In addition to the foregoing this inven-. tion comprehends improvements in the details of the construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter set forth and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanyin drawings in which similar and correspon ing parts are desig- 1 nated by the same characters of reference throughout the severa lviews in which they appear- Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a listing vessel illustrating the manner in which life boats are launched by means of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in plan of a life boat and my invention attached thereto.

Fig. 3 is a detail view illustrating one manner of formin the resilient connection.

Fig.4; is a sim ar view taken at rightangles to the former view.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

13 to extend longitudinally boat Patented Fens 5, i919.

Application filed August 22, 1918. Serial No. 251,019.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of a modified form of connection, and- Fig.6 is a detail View of a device for con- With reference to the drawings, 10 indi cates the hull of a vessel, and 11 guide ways which extend vertical of the hull on the exterior face thereof. and are arranged in pairs, one pair for each life boat to be launched. Each guide way consists of a pair of plates 12 arranged in parallelism and secured by rivets at their remote edges to the hull, while their adjacent edges are bent away from the hull to form a recess or guide way.

To each life boat there is secured a plank of the life boat. The plank may be attached by means of a cable or cables 14 secured to the ends of thev plank and wrapped around the boat.

An additional securing means may be provided in the way hooks 15 pivoted to the the outer face of the plank at each end there is secured an annular member 16 havin its central portion bent out of the plane 0 the tension 20 to enter the space between the plates of one of the guide ways, and oppositely extending arms 21 are formed on the extension to extend at right angles thereto and to be housed inthe recess of the guide way. Each arm 21 is formed with a transverse aperture to receive a hard steel ball 22, forming an anti+friction means to facilitate movement of the parts, just described along the guide ways. It will be obvious that many other arrangements may be devised to slidably engage the ends of the springs in the guide ways, as for instance in Fig. 5 wherein 23 indicates a bolt having a spherical head 24: formed either rigidly or loosely at one end. The other end of the bolt loosely enters a central opening in a block 18 forming the equivalent of the block 18.

In usethe life boats are lowered from the deck ofthe listing vessel by means of the of angular members or gunwales of the and adapted to engage the plank. To I conventional davits and block and tackle. The plank 13 and appurtenant parts having been already attached to the life boat, the arm 21 supplied with the ball bearings, or the spherical heads 23 as the case may be are inserted. in the guide ways and the boats lowered. It will be obvious that movement of the life boat toward or away from the hull of the vessel will be limited and shocks due to impact cushioned, thereby preventing injury to the life boats and insuring the arrival of the latter at the waters edge intact with its load. The lower ends of the guide ways it will be noted terminate at a point adjacent the Water line of the vessel so that the lifeboat will be automatically released when reaching the water level.

While I have illustrated and described my invention with some degree of particularity I realize that in practice various alterations therein may be made. I therefore reserve the right and privilege of changing the form of the details of construction or otherwise altering the arrangement of the correlated parts, without departing fronr the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims Havingthus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by so United States Letters Patent, is:

1. In combination with the hull of eyessel, guide ways on the vessel, andresilient means for attachment to a life boat and to ride in the guide ways.

menses 2. In combination with the hull of a ves- 35 sel, guide ways on the vessel, a support for attachment to a life boat, resilient members secured to the support, and means for engaging the resilient members in the guide ways.

3. In combination with the hull of a vessel, a pair of guide ways on the vessel, a support for attachment to a life boat, a pair of coiled springs attached at one end to the support, and anti-friction means on the other end of each spring for engagement in the guide ways.

4:. In combination with the hull of a vessel, a pair of guide ways on the vessel, a support for attachment to a life boat, a pair of coiled springs attached at one end to the support, a T-shaped member secured to the other end of each spring to engage in the guide ways, and spherical anti-friction mem-. ber held in the T-shaped member to facilitate movement of the latter along the guide Ways.

5. In a life boat launching apparatus a support for attachment to a life boat, a coiled spring attached at one end thereto, a block inserted in the other end of the spring, oppositely extending arms on said block having their ends apertured, and spherical member held in said apertures, said arms and spherical members being designed to ride in guide ways on a vessel side.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature.

wrLLrAM w. n. ssnnn 

